A wise man once said, “You don’t want to meet a woman in a bar, Mclovin.” Those are wise words from the movie of a generation.
We may not know much about relationships, but we do know one thing: Anyone who doesn’t take dating advice from Superbad is a lunatic. Superbad is the greatest movie of the past twenty years. Actually, it may very well be the greatest movie of all time.
In the scene where Officers Michaels and Slater give some sage advice on where to meet someone, they explain that the best place to meet someone is somewhere non-threatening, like a pumpkin patch.
Unfortunately, all the pumpkins have been picked this year and winter is coming at us with the fury of a thousand suns.
Luckily, we are here to hook you up with some solid non-threatening places to meet someone that don’t involve Tinder and similarly sketchy internet dating apps.
Because the truth is, meeting someone in real life is always better than pretending that you meet someone in real life after you both happened to swipe right.
1. Union Square Holiday Market
silvanabertolucci Union Square Holiday Market em Nova York A Union Square é uma excelente região para fazer compras na cidade, e o mercado de Natal que rola por lá também é bem legal. Ele é mais popular e famoso em Nova York, e atrai cerca de um milhão de visitantes todos os anos. O Union Square Holiday Market costuma ocorrer entre os dias 19 de Novembro e a véspera de Natal. Ele funciona de segunda a sexta-feira, das 11h às 20h, de sábado das 10h às 20h e de domingo das 11h às 19h. Lá você vai encontrar, entre vários outros itens, joias e acessórios artesanais, arte original, presentes para crianças e jovens, velas, roupas de inverno, decorações de Natal e vários outros. Se você sentir fome durante as compras, o mercado oferece muitas opções de comidas e bebidas, desde caseiros até industrializados, incluindo uma sopa Persa e o tradicional chocolate quente. Em dias selecionados um coral canta músicas típicas de Natal. 🎅🏼🌲✨ #unionsquareholidaymarket #unionsquare #nyc 📷 de @what_i_saw_in_nyc ☑️
This spot switches from just a farmers market to a holiday market around this time of year, but that doesn’t mean it loses any of that non-threatening charm. This obviously isn’t a huge pick-up scene, but that’s why it is so effective.
One minute you’re shopping for gingerbread or whatever they sell there, then boom! Next minute you’re spitting fire-flames game and getting someone’s number. Plus, meeting your significant other at a farmers market is such a Hollywood romantic story that it might as well be a cliché.
2. Professional basketball game (Nets or Knicks)
nyknicks @carmeloanthony scores 8p on 4/6 shooting but the #Knicks trail 29-21 after Q1 in Rip City. #NYKvsPOR
This move is really better for girls than boys. If you’re a girl, and you go to a professional basketball game looking for a dude to take home, you’re essentially fishing with dynamite.
Dudes outnumber girls like ten to one (these statistics are totally made up). But, you get what we mean.
The thing is that every guy there would be stoked to meet a girl, so if you’re a girl and you go to a basketball game, you basically have free reign to meet whatever dude strikes your fancy.
3. On the subway
mrjaydub Be very, very, quiet. I'm hunting wabbit. #elmerfudd #nycsubway #subway #nyc #newyorkcity #rabbit #onlyinnyc #mta #nycmetro
This is kind of a preposterous move. We don’t know a ton of people who have actually pulled this off. But, who knows, maybe you can set the curve.
4. At a hockey game (Rangers or Islanders)
nhlrangers02 @instaFit_App #instaFitApp #instaFitAppForLikes #hockey #hockeystick #puck #ice #rink #icerink #hockeyplayer #instagood #hockeyplayers #fight #photooftheday #shot #skate #hockeygram #stanleycup #score #hockeylife #pucklife #newyork #newyorkrangers
Much like a basketball, this is more of a move for girls than boys. Also, the same as basketball, this is fishing with dynamite. However, it might even be easier for girls to pick up dudes at a hockey game than a basketball game.
All that fighting really gets the sexual juices flowing in a weird kind of creepy way. Also, this might be a stereotype, but it’s also definitely true, hockey fans get way more wasted than basketball fans.
Basically, if you’re a girl, and you go to a hockey game, you can leave with like ten dudes' digits.
5. Rockefeller Center Ice Rink
hona26 Such an amazing moment. Can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you @wpryslak #rockafellercenter #engaged #love #nyc
This is a classic Hollywood move; accidentally bump into someone and start up a spicy love affair.
We’re not sure that this is how real life actually works, but there are a ton of couples at this spot and that usually means that all the single people there are trying to spy someone who is also single, desperate to meet someone before the holidays.
,6. New Year’s Eve party
Meeting someone at a party is so much easier than meeting someone at a bar. You have guaranteed friends in common, well... you have some sort of vague connection if not real friends.
Also, an apartment party is so much more intimate than the bar and all the single people there are desperately looking for someone to make out with at midnight, so society is putting some major pressure on you to meet someone.
7. At a football tailgate
hartagency #gojets #kickoff #tailgate #yellowtail #yellowtailwines #followthekangaroo #jetstailgate #nycwff #foodnetwork #joenamath #mariobatali #teamyellowtail
It’s definitely harder to meet someone during the actual football game, but during the tailgate is like the golden hour for meeting people.
There are always random people showing up at these tailgates, everyone is hammered, and there is the excitement of waiting for a dope game to pop off. Football tailgates are wild and maybe-- just maybe --you will lock eyes with someone across the flip cup table and it will work itself out.
8. Happy hour
gastroteca_astoria Join us all month long for $7 Candy Cane Martinis!!! Tis the season for a deliciously creamy mint cocktail! #candycane #candycanemartini #martini #vodka #cocktails #GastrotecaAstoria #fancycocktails #bartender #astoria #nyc #queens #queensny #queenseats #astoryofastoria #happyhour #happyhournyc #mint #delicious
This goes directly against the advice of "Superbad", but whatever. There are always hot, drunk, single people at happy hour.
But it is also early enough into the night where you can actually remember the people you meet, or, at the very least, you aren’t drunk enough to have lost your cell phone yet, so at least you can snag their number.
9. The dog park
pawsinnyc Bigs and smalls 🐾😄💙 (@zoebear_nyc) #nycdogpark #dogsofnyc #bigsandsmalls #pawsinnyc #nycdog #nycdogrun #dogsofinstagram
If you have a dog and you’re not in a relationship, then you aren’t doing it right.
The number one reason to have a dog is to get random people to talk to you on the street. Well, maybe that’s not the number one reason, but it’s definitely top three.
Anyway, go to the dog park or simply walk down the street with your dog.
Check out 7 Date Ideas You Should Definitely Try Out This December in NYC.
[Feature Image Courtesy Salon]